Independent Reviewing Officer and Child Protection Chair

How you'll make a difference

Working as part of the Quality Assurance and Reviewing Team, you will develop and maintain an overview of the effectiveness of interagency safeguarding and children in care processes and service delivery across childcare teams.

What you will be doing

It will be key for you to ensure that children and young people are consulted and participate in their children in care reviews, conferences and meetings. It will be your responsibility to provide specialist advice and develop and implement policies to ensure an effective service and interpret legislation, regulations and codes of practice. Where relevant, this may be the main function of this role. Daily, you will manage and monitor quality and performance to meet service requirements, ensuring key performance measures are met and work is delivered on schedule. You will co-ordinate and present reports, ensuring they are completed on time, incorporating a clear summary of issues. You are responsible for managing budgets for specialist areas, ensuring that they are appropriately set and provide maximum value for the council. You may also have input into commissioning budgets as required.

What we need from you

We require you to be a qualified Social Worker with relevant registration to practice (SWE Social Work England) and where required, an additional specialist professional qualification. You will demonstrate specialist, up to date knowledge of the service area and relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice including equalities and research and trends in social care policy. Given the elements of this role, you will have understanding of project management, be able to address barriers to initiation and continue the development of specialist services. You will have proven experience of child protection work, ensuring that timescales and guidance are complied with. Ideally, you will have the ability to make confident, independent decisions in respect of children at risk of harm and children looked after in the review process and confidently challenge deficiencies in practise or planning.

What you need to know

This role is 22.2 hours per week, working Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have an alternative means of travel. Business Insurance will need to be added to your current car insurance policy. Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post. Interviews will be held week commencing 30th June 2025.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities. We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities. We invest in the careers of our people and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work. What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect. Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here. We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of. We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life. We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential. We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference. We’re making a difference, be part of it!